Poached Eggs Boïeldieu

Ingredients

Equipment Needed

• •Four 4-inch (10 cm) shallow tartlet tins
• •Pastry weights
• •Small heavy saucepan for the poultry gravy
• •Wide 3-quart saucepan for poaching eggs
• •Fine-mesh sieve
• •Slotted spoon
• •Instant-read thermometer

Instructions

1. 1

   Make the tartlet dough

   Mix the 1 cup flour with ¼ teaspoon of the salt. Rub in 5 tablespoons of cold butter until the mixture resembles coarse crumbs with a few small flakes of butter still visible. Stir in the egg yolk and 1 tablespoon of ice water, adding the remaining water by drops only if the dough will not hold when pressed. If it crumbles, add water by the teaspoon; if it feels greasy, chill it immediately. Ça se rattrape. Shape into a disc without kneading, cover, and chill for 25 minutes.

2. 2

   Bake the tartlet shells

   Heat the oven to 375°F (190°C). Roll the dough about ⅛ inch thick and line four 4-inch (10 cm) shallow tartlet tins. Patch any cracks with a scrap of dough pressed firmly into place. Prick the bases, chill for 10 minutes, then line with parchment and pastry weights. Bake for 12 minutes, remove the weights, and bake for another 6 to 8 minutes, until the shells are crisp and evenly butter-gold. Unmold them while barely warm and set them on a baking sheet.

3. 3

   Reduce the poultry gravy

   Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a small heavy saucepan over medium heat. Brown the chicken wings deeply on every side, then add the shallot and carrot and cook until their edges bronze. Pour in 3 cups of the chicken stock, scraping the fond from the pan floor, and simmer uncovered until reduced to about ¾ cup, 35 to 45 minutes. Strain into a clean saucepan without pressing hard on the solids. Bring the gravy to a gentle simmer and whisk in the arrowroot slurry a little at a time, stopping as soon as it naps the back of a spoon. Finish by monter au beurre, whisking the final cold tablespoon of butter into the gravy off the heat. If it becomes gluey, loosen it with stock or water; if the butter beads on the surface, whisk in a teaspoon of cold water away from the heat. Hold it warm without boiling.

4. 4

   Poach the chicken

   Bring the remaining 1 cup of chicken stock to the barest simmer in a small saucepan and season lightly. Add the chicken breast, cover, and cook gently for 8 to 10 minutes, turning once, until its centre reaches 160°F (71°C). Rest it for 5 minutes so it finishes cooking, then cut it into neat ¼-inch dice. Strain the poaching stock and measure ¾ cup, adding a little water if needed.

5. 5

   Bind the salpicon

   Melt 1 tablespoon of butter in a saucepan, stir in the tablespoon of flour, and cook this blond roux for 2 minutes without letting it colour. Gradually whisk in the hot reserved poaching stock, then simmer for 3 to 4 minutes, until the poultry velouté is smooth and coats a spoon. If it lumps, pass it through a fine sieve and return it to gentle heat. Fold ½ cup of the velouté around the diced chicken and truffle, adding up to 1 teaspoon of reserved truffle liquid if using preserved truffle. Remove the pan from the heat and fold in the cold foie gras last. The salpicon should be cohered, not swimming; loosen it with more velouté if dry, but never boil it after the foie gras enters or the dice will melt away.

6. 6

   Ready the tartlets

   Lower the oven to 300°F (150°C) and warm the empty tartlet shells for 4 minutes. Divide the warm salpicon among them, keeping the filling level enough to support an egg. Return them to the switched-off oven for no more than 5 minutes. From this point, sequence decides the dish: the filled tartlets and poultry gravy must be ready before the eggs touch the water.

7. 7

   Poach the eggs

   Bring the 8 cups of water and vinegar to a bare tremble in a wide saucepan. Crack each egg into its own small cup, then slip the eggs into the water one at a time, leaving space between them. Poach for 3 to 3½ minutes, nudging loose white around each yolk, until the whites are set and the centres remain soft. If the water boils, pull the pan off the heat at once; a hard boil toughens the white and tears it into ribbons. Lift the eggs with a slotted spoon, trim only the ragged threads, and drain them thoroughly on a clean towel.

   Fresh eggs hold a compact oval in the water. An older egg will spread, but the flavour is not lost; gather the white gently as it sets and trim the untidy edge after poaching.
8. 8

   Cloak and serve

   Set one drained poached egg on each filled tartlet and season it lightly with salt and white pepper. Rewarm the poultry gravy just until fluid, never boiling, then spoon it generously over each egg while leaving the crisp tartlet rim visible. Serve immediately. The egg does not wait. À table!

Chef Tips

• •Use unsalted chicken stock with enough natural gelatin to set softly when cold. A thin stock makes a thin gravy, while a heavily salted carton becomes punishing as it reduces. Technique first, always, but begin with a foundation that can stand the reduction.
• •Buy cooked foie gras, preferably a firm terrine or mi-cuit, not mousse. Chill it thoroughly before dicing and fold it in away from the heat so the pieces remain distinct inside the salpicon.
• •A small jar of preserved whole black truffle is the honest classical-pantry answer when fresh truffle is out of season. Drain it well, dice it evenly, and use a measured spoonful of its liquid only if it smells clean and deeply of truffle.
• •For wine, pour a dry Champagne or a taut white Burgundy. The acidity clears the foie gras and egg yolk from the palate without trampling the truffle.

Advance Preparation

• •Bake the tartlet shells one day ahead and keep them airtight at room temperature. Refresh them for 4 minutes in a 300°F (150°C) oven before filling.
• •Prepare the poultry gravy through the arrowroot thickening one day ahead, cool it promptly, and refrigerate. Reheat it gently and monter au beurre with the final cold butter just before serving.
• •The chicken, foie gras, and truffle can be diced up to 4 hours ahead and refrigerated separately. Make the velouté and bind the salpicon close to serving so the tartlets remain crisp.
• •For a calmer dinner service, poach the eggs up to 4 hours ahead, chill them immediately in ice water, drain, cover, and refrigerate. Rewarm them for 45 to 60 seconds in barely simmering water, then drain thoroughly before assembly.

Frequently Asked Questions

Nutrition Information

1 serving (about 250g)